DVees 2020 Christmas Meal Inspiration Recipes
If you didn’t know already, we are big foodies. We love food, we really do. We are happiest when we are seated around a table with family and loved ones, eating yummy food, laughing, ‘gisting’, sharing stories and creating wonderful memories. We are all about family and nothing brings family together like great food.
Christmas is one of our favourite times of the year and every year, we cook up a storm. We also share Christmas meal inspirations. This year, we have decided to re-launch our blog with accompanying recipes. It’s been a challenging year and we hope these recipes add sparkle to your Christmas.
We hope you love them. Please share your pictures with us - you can tag us on social media @dvees_, use the hashtag #aDVeesXmas. Now, here are your recipes, ENJOY!
Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes - serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 4 large orange fleshed sweet potatoes*, peeled and roughly cut into cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed (use the back of a spoon or a garlic presser if you posh )
• 1 or 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, sliced (use as many or as few as you can handle)
• 1/2 large White Onion, thinly sliced
• A knob of butter
• Salt to taste
• 3 Tbsp of oil (sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, etc.)**
• A sprig of fresh Parsley, chopped (can use dry parsley or skip)
• A handful of Spinach, chopped
METHOD
1. Peel & cut potatoes into roughly equal pieces
2. Boil in lightly SALTED water until the potatoes are tender, not too soft
3. Drain well, return the potatoes to the pot. Mash with a knob of butter.
4. In a separate pan, add the oil over medium heat, add the onions, sauté for 10 minutes, stir regularly so they do not burn.
5. Add peppers, garlic, parsley and spinach, add salt to taste, and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Add the sautéed onions and peppers to the mashed potatoes and stir in.
7. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley or chives.
Recipe Variation – Mad version
*Use White Fleshed Sweet Potatoes
** Use Palm oil
Grilled Lamb Chops - serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 4 Lamb Chops, medium size
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed (use the back of a spoon or a garlic presser if you posh )
• 1 or 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, sliced (use as many or as few as you can handle)
• 1/2 large White Onion, thinly sliced
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• A sprig of fresh Rosemary or Thyme, chopped (can use dry parsley or skip)
METHOD
1. Mix the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, onions and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Pour over the mix over lamb chops, flip chops over to cover them completely. Cover with a plastic wrap, and marinate the chops in the fridge for at least an hour. Better still marinate overnight.
3. Grill Lamb Chops for 10 mins
4. Transfer to serving plate, rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
· Buy quality meat and most of the work is done
· Try and marinate for at least 30mins.
Spicy and Sweet Orange Chicken Wings - serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
• 16 Chicken Wings* (If you can be bothered cut the wings, discard the tips and use the drumette and the flats, yes that’s what they are called, we didn’t make that up - https://www.thekitchn.com/the-small-but-mighty-chicken-wing-223119)
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 10 garlic cloves
• 2 thumb sized pieces of ginger
• 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, sliced (use as many or as few as you can handle)
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup of honey
• ¼ of oil
• Juice of 4 oranges
• 1 Tbsp of mixed spice or all spice
• 2 bunches of Spring Onions
METHOD
1. Put the wings in a large bowl/pot/tray
2. Blend the remaining ingredients together.
3. Pour over the mix over the wings, massage the wings to ensure each wing gets lots of marinade love. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate the wings in the fridge for at least an hour. Better still marinate overnight.
4. Oven Bake the Chicken for 25 – 30mins until it is cooked
5. Transfer to serving plate and serve
Tips + Recipe Variation
· Before you serve, you can drizzle a little honey over the wings or sprinkle coconut sugar on your wings; its Christmas
· The wings will be juicy, if you want it to be crispy, transfer to a wire tray and bake for an extra 5 – 7 mins.
Oxtail & Sweet Potato Casserole - serves 4
INGREDIENTS
· 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
· 2 kg Oxtail
· 2 onions, roughly chopped
· 6 garlic cloves
· 1 thumb sized of ginger
· 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, whole (use as many or as few as you can handle)
· 1 bunch of spring onions, sliced
· 400g of coconut milk
· 3 seasoning cubes
· 3 springs of thyme, can use dry thyme too
· 1 tsp of pimento
· Salt to taste
· 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
Method
1. Blend onions, ginger, garlic, 1 scotch bonnet pepper, thyme with a cup of water and pour over oxtail
2. Marinate for at least an hour, overnight if you have time.
3. Add the marinated oxtail to the pot, add seasoning cubes and pimento; cook on medium low heat for 2 hours, until oxtail is soft.
4. Add coconut milk, Worchester sauce, 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper and sweet potatoes chunks to the pot and cook for 20 mins until potatoes are nice and tender. Add salt to taste.
5. Garnish with sliced green onions and Serve
Tips + Recipe Variation
· Swap coconut milk for chopped tomatoes – same measurements to go from a creamy based to a tomato based
· The meat on the oxtail should be falling off the bone. Cook the oxtail until very soft, add a cup or 2 of water to step 3 if required.
Yam Pepper Soup with Goat Meat (Ukodo) - serves 4
INGREDIENTS
· 1 tuber of Yam, peeled and cut into medium chunks
· 2 kg Goat meat – the shoulder is a lovely cut, you can use chicken in place of goat meat.
· 4 Tbsp of pepper soup spice mix
· 1 Tbsp of dried hot pepper, use as much or as little as you can handle
· 2 Tbsp of ground crayfish (optional – our mama won’t be pleased that we are saying crayfish is optional, Crayfish is very key in this dish and in lots of our dishes but it is still nice without so don’t stress if you don’t have any at home
· 2 stalks of lemon grass
· A pinch of Potash Rockstone Kaun – it is unlikely that most will have this in their food cupboard unless you have an Urhobo/Itsekiri/Isoko mother/aunty. Don’t worry if you don’t have this, the food will still be sweet
· Salt to taste
· 5 – 8 cups of water
Method
1. Put goat meat, salt, pepper soup spices, crayfish, dry pepper in a pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add 3 cups of water and cook for another 15minutes*
3. Add yam chunks, lemon grass and remaining 2 cups of water and a pinch of the kaun, cook for another 15 minutes until the yam is soft.
4. Garnish with scent leaves and Serve
Tips
· We recently started buying goat meat from one bourgeois butcher like this, so the meat is always tender. If your goat meat is ‘mature’ like the ones from mile 12 or Upton Park, etc, please ignore the recommended cooking time and cook until it is nice and soft.
· You can use basil in place of sent leaves
· You can add more water to step three if you don’t want a thick soup, just remember to taste for seasoning and add more if you need to
· Some people drizzle palm oil on their ukodo once served
· This dish is so easy to make and sooo yummy – it has such a unique taste.
· We always ate this on New Year’s day growing up…. we need to bring the tradition back.
· We also have a lovely recipe video with our beautiful mama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG3kXcwKhLw
Spinach Fried Rice (Kpa Kpa Rice) - serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 6 cups Cooked basmati rice*
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, sliced (use as many or as few as you can handle)
• 4 handfuls of Spinach, washed and roughly sliced
• 500g of King Prawns
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 tsp of curry (not strong tasting/smelling curry)
• ¼ of oil
• 2 bunches of Spring Onions
• 2 seasoning cubes
METHOD
1. Add oil to a pan over medium heat, add the onions, sauté for 10 minutes, stir regularly so they do not burn.
2. Add peppers, garlic and prawns, add seasoning cubes, thyme, curry and salt to taste, and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Add rice to the onions, prawn and pepper mix. Stir well
4. Add spinach, cook for another 3-5 minutes.
5. Service with a sunny side fried egg and grilled meats.
Tips + Recipe Variation
· This is a short version of kpa kpa kpa rice. Kpa kpa kpa rice is a rice dish that you cook quickly using ingredients you have in your fridge.
· This is one go to recipe for surprise guests.
DVees is a food & drinks start up dedicated to demystifying West African flavours. We hope to bring the sunshine of West Africa through our carefully crafted drinks, condiments and tea, all inspired by West African flavours. Our bestselling product is DVees Chapman Drink, a refreshing citrus flavoured sparkling drink with an infusion of cucumber, a dash of blackcurrant and a hint of aromatic spices.